The scorecard breaks goals into four categories made up of:
- Student academic achievement and success
- Faculty and staff
- Stakeholder engagement
- Finances and operations
One of the goals that caused tension between the board was the 10-5-3 plan to improve scores for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, by 2028.
This plan outlines a 10% increase in students approaching grade level, a 5% increase in the number of students who meet grade level expectations and a 3% increase in students who master expectations.
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Kristin Saunders said the 10-5-3 metric is designed to encompass all students who take a STAAR or end-of-course exam.
“We need to come up with goals that are attainable for everyone involved,” Saunders said.
Trustee Monica Ryan pushed back on this goal, claiming that if there was previous discussion on the 10-5-3, it wasn’t agreed upon by the entire board during a meeting.
Trustee Laura Stanford said the numbers were lower than she would like to see, asking staff for alternative goals.
“I find [the goal] anemic and weak, especially in a climate where we are looking at serious concerns about voucher competition, charter competition,” Stanford said. “I don't see this as very competitive.”
Ryan echoed this sentiment, claiming the numbers set by the goal still fall below the state averages.
Superintendent Milton “Rob” Fields III said that the goals are a starting point, and if the goals are hit before the target data, then the goals can be readjusted.
Diving in deeper
In the discussion for finances and operations, staff shared the plan to create a facilities evaluation, which would highlight facility needs at campuses.
This plan will be designed to help the district be more proactive with predictable facility expenses, such as roof replacements, updates to gymnasiums and other long-term replacements.
Alongside the creation of the facilities, the financial portion of the approved goals includes long-term strategies in managing the budget.
One of Ryan’s concerns regarding the financial aspect of the goals was the reduction of the budget deficit by 1% each year, when compared to the previous year’s deficit.
Ryan said if the district continues deficit budgets over the next four years, then it would result in a negative fund balance by fiscal year 2027-28.
According to the approved FY 2024-25 budget, the fund balance at the end of the fiscal year will be around $66 million.
The original shortfall for the FY 2024-25 budget was around $36 million prior to the use of disaster pennies, which decreased the shortfall to nearly $24 million.
At a 1% decrease year-over-year using these numbers, the district would be looking to cut around $240,000 to $360,000 annually.
Fields said one of the options for increasing revenue for the district would be to hold a voter-approval tax rate election to support future budgets.
This would be an estimated $0.03 tax rate increase, which would help bring in around $12 million in additional revenue should voters approve the increase.
“We are in a situation where we have to increase the amount of funds coming into the district,” Fields said, “But we can’t cut our way to a balanced budget right now.”
Fields explained that the district is in a situation where substantially cutting the shortfall would result in the inability to properly provide education to students.
“We got here from the board making, in my opinion, some pretty astute decisions on how competitive [we are] going to be in our pay across the region and across Bexar County,” Fields said.
Trustee José Macias highlighted that the districts across the state are being negatively impacted from a lack of support from legislators, and the board should “hold the line” by continuing to provide services to students and staff.
“My opinion, and I am almost certain my colleagues agree, is we are not going to cut,” Macias said. “We are going to use every last dollar in our fund balance before we cut anything because we are trying to give quality education.”
Ryan said the approval of a VATRE or increased support from the state is a possibility and cannot be relied on when planning for future budgets.
District staff and the board of trustees have committed to beginning the budget process for FY 2025-26 earlier than usual, with discussions expected in November.
Moving forward
Trustees approved the reviewed goals in a 6-1 vote, with Ryan voting against the motion.
The approved board goals and scorecard will be reviewed during strategic roundtable meetings, which will be focused on realigning goals if necessary, district staff said. Goals will also be implemented into the superintendent evaluation process.
The full special meeting on board goals can be viewed here.
